When COVID-19 hit Kenya, the country’s lock down policy was abrupt and a strict curfew was enforced. Schools closed so suddenly that no one had a chance to prepare or take anything that they needed. 

After a few weeks Joan, our amazing librarian at Aberdare Primary School, returned to the school to rearrange the books. “The library looked so big and empty,” she remembers. All she could think about was how sad it was that our students weren’t able to access their much loved books. In that moment, she decided she would take some of the books and distribute them to children at their homes.

“To my surprise, the children were so happy to see me and told me how they were so bored and idle…. within two days, they were calling using their parents phones to ask for an exchange.”

Ever since, Joan has been distributing and exchanging books for our students from the early years all the way up to Year 8.

“I love the positivity of the children and their parents.  All in all I am so happy to see our children interested in reading even at home. They give me hope and make me love my job even more.”

As COVID-19 continues to disrupt life for our communities, we love sharing these stories of hope with you. We know that education is life changing and keeping our children reading and learning is essential, now more than ever. Find out more about our COVID-19 response here.